The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday in Enugu, said that the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha and his wife, Nneoma, may forfeit multi-billion naira worth of assets to the government.

The Head, Enugu Zonal Office of the commission, Mr. Usman Imam, who gave the hint while briefing journalists on the activities of the commission in the last eight months, stated that the commission has obtained orders for the interim forfeiture of assets traced to the former governor and his wife.

Imam named some of the property to include a 16-block 96 flats and an eight-bungalow multimillion naira estate, hotel, two schools, shopping plaza, supermarket, hospital and four vehicles.

The EFCC zonal boss said that the commission also obtained similar order on a property traced to a former aide to Okorocha, Mr. Paschal Obi, and the former governor’s daughter.

He said that the commission had established prima facie cases against the suspects which they would answer to.

Imam said that the commission would like to know how the Rochas Foundation and other accomplices acquired and or converted some of the property for personal use.

“We hope to get permanent forfeiture orders on the property in order to return them to the people of Imo State,” he said.

The EFCC said that all the facilities, including the schools, would remain functional as the commission would not like to shut them down for the sake of the students and other users.

“Other recoveries were made and are awaiting forfeiture, but for the court vacation. They include a twin three-storey building with a three bedroom bungalow and a duplex, both in Enugu.

“The property was recovered from cyber fraudsters,” he said.

He revealed that the commission, within the period, recovered N213.85 million and $10,600.

Imam similarly reiterated the commission’s resolve to partner with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the fight against cybercrime.

“In one of such recoveries, one Augustine Ejimokor, who defrauded his victim of the sum of $5,000 and used it to acquire a Mercedez Benz C300 was ordered to forfeit the vehicle.

“So far, the zone has arrested 88 suspected fraudsters since 2015, with 70 of them in 2019. This underscores the efforts of the present zonal head in conformity with the acting chairman’s directives,” he said.

Imam said that the zone also obtained 59 convictions out of whom were the 51 arrested and prosecuted in 2019.